- Date
- February 6, 1992, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Church Hill, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N88380Piper J3-C65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920206007989A
- Case key
- 33076
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to clear his engine during descent resulting in the spark plugs becoming fouled which resulted in loss of engine power.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated he reduced engine power to idle and applied carburetor heat to descend. He did not clear engine during idle power descent from 2,500 feet to 700 feet. When he leveled the engine would only cough and sputter. A forced landing was made in a field and the acft collided with a ditch and nosed over. The pilot stated the engine loaded up during descent.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N88380
- Reported as
- Piper J3-C65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15998
- Airframe hours
- 6,228
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lewis B. Blackwell III
- Registered owner
- Lewis B. Blackwell III
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 18, 1991 · 49 hours before
- Departed
- HEZ · Natchez, MS
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 133 total · 55 in this make and model · 90 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JAN, 32 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N88380 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.